Motivations and Regrets
by FluffelZ
Summary: Stories are passed down from witness to listener, and then carried down for thousands of years. Over time, the details are lost. But without these details, people forget that most of the antagonists were human, too, and that they had their own hopes. Fortunately, some people still know the rest of the story. (short FE4 one-shots from the perspective of its bosses/antagonists)
1. Eldigan - Promises (759 Grann)

Eldigan/Promises (759 Grann)

* * *

To my beloved son, Ares,

As you probably know, in any other year, Agustria's summer would have been normal. But that year, it wasn't. Shouts filled the blood-covered battlefields from people who have been ordered to do one thing: drive Sigurd and his army out of their country. At the same time, pirates from Orgahil began raiding villages - including their own. Even through that, I was able to avoid the fighting, as I wasn't given orders to attack, thankfully.

One day, in the beginning of the month, I received a letter saying that King Chagall sent soldiers to attack Augusty. From the way it was written, and the fact that he had attacked Agusty hinted at him wanting me to fight as well.

I stared at the letter as I read it over multiple times; part of me refused to believe that this was true, while the other part accepted it immediately. The hopeful - and loyal - half of me was trying to convince myself that King Chagall would never do that, and that the rumors about him being connected to his father, King Imca's mysterious death were just rumors, and the logical half of me knew it made sense: King Chagall wanted a war. He would _never _accept a peace treaty, especially since he had an excuse. He could blame everything on Sigurd's "interference", even though that was to save my sister's life.

I sighed, as that was the only thing I could do while still staying calm. Chagall, king of Agustria, who I'd sworn loyalty to as the leader of Nordion was exploiting my oaths in order to make me fight one of my best friends, endangering countless citizens in the process. And the worst part was that he didn't care. No matter who died, he was willing to continue this war until Agustria's fall.

* * *

It started when King Chagall "miraculously" survived the attack on Madino. He made it sound as if Sigurd attacked first, but I immediately assumed Sigurd only seized Madino in self-defence.

"And just what do you think you are doing, Eldigan?!" Chagall continued angrily. "If you hadn't dawdled away your day here, then perhaps we wouldn't have lost Madino!"

'I would've, if I had instructions," I thought, but kept quiet.

"Ah, but that's part of your plan, isn't it?!" he shouted. "You're part of their plot to destroy Agustria, traitor!"

"Your Majesty…" I said, wincing. "How could you say that?"

"What's this?" Chagall hissed. "Do you dare to be displeased? To think, you've forgotten my father's favor, all to idly stall for time... You're a disgrace to the knighthood!"

I stood up, realizing that there was only one thing I should do march with the Cross Knights in Sigurd's direction and then stop nearby for a little while, to decide what to do from there. I hoped it wouldn't come to fighting Sigurd, but I didn't have too much faith in that happening.

"There's nothing more I can do to convince you…" I said quietly. "Very well, Your Majesty. My men and I will move out post-haste. I am proud to be a paladin of Agustria. If I must die, it shall be with sword in hand. By your leave, Your Majesty."

I exited the room when he agreed, and immediately started looking for the Cross Knights, to prepare them for the march to Madino. When I finished explaining the plan, I took a deep breath.

"This is it, men," I said, putting as much confidence as I could into my voice. "It's time for us to enter the fray... Perhaps for the last time. I count myself the luckiest commander there is for your years of loyalty to me. The fatherland's fate hinges on this final battle. Do not let Agustria down. Cross Knights! Move out!"

* * *

On the fourth night, we camped near Madino, but far enough to not be spotted.

I tried thinking about what to do from there, like I'd planned, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't think of a plan that would end well for Sigurd, his army, the Cross Knights or Agustria itself.

"Brother, stop!" A familiar voice interrupted my thoughts. I looked up and saw my younger sister, Lachesis, standing in the entrance of my tent fiercely. Someone who I recognized as Quan's squire, Finn was standing behind her nervously.

"Hello, Lachesis," I said, standing up. "And hello, Finn."

Finn's face turned a little red.

"Why do you continue to serve Chagall, after all he's done?" she said, looking at me angry and worried about me at the same time, in a way only a close relative can. "You saved his life after he imprisoned you, and now he's forcing you to fight and kill Sigurd, one of your closest friends, who cares about Agustria? Would you really betray him? Is this what you call a knight's pride?"

"As a knight of Agustria, Nordion's lord, and Mystletainn's wielder, I have sworn oaths to protect this country and its king," I said calmly. "And I know that Sigurd wants to keep Grannvale out of Agustria,, but _Grannvale_ doesn't. He wants to keep this country safe, even though he is from Grannvale."

Lachesis opened her mouth, but didn't say anything.

"There _is_ something I could do," I began. "I don't have the authority to call off the attack, but I can ask the king. Maybe-"

"Thank you, Eldie!" she said, sounding happier, and hugged me, though as she was one of Hezul's descendants, her hug (accidentally) almost made me fall.

"Though, just in case..." I began again, giving her a sword that looked simple, but was really an Earth Sword. "Please take this sword. With it, I'll know that you will be safe."

I assume Lachesis noticed that I was talking differently, less hopeful in a way, since her face turned a little pale.

"I also wanted to see you and Finn marry," I said in a whisper, and now_ Lachesis's_ face flushed. "see Ares, Altena, Seliph growing up; and see Sigurd, Quan, the two of you and Grahnye and I be parents. But please," I said while hugging her, "stay safe."

"I promise," she said determinedly, although her eyes were filled with tears threatening to fall.

Finn looked like he wasn't sure what to do or say, so I walked over to him and whispered, "Please be a good husband for Lachesis." When his face turned red again, I added, "I can tell that the two of you care about each other; so as her older brother, please promise me that."

He nodded a little shakily.

"Thank you," I said. "I'll tell the Cross Knights to prepare to leave in the morning." Most of them would understand, but I couldn't exactly leave them halfway across the country.

Both of them nodded and left the room, Lachesis looking happier than when she entered.

A few days later, when we arrived at Silvail, I went to my house to find it empty. Assuming that Grahnye and Ares (you) would be home soon, I wrote this letter and left it in a place I knew would only be found by my wife.

* * *

And this is why I wrote this letter: I am not sure if I will be able to tell you this, and I don't even know how old you'll be when you read this. I doubt you know the truth of my death, as Sigurd, Quan and Lachesis will probably say that it is their fault, and therefore, I wrote this to tell you the truth, from me. This letter will hopefully explain why I made this decision.

If no one has told you, Sigurd, Quan and I were close friends since we went to the military academy in Belhalla. Sigurd met both of us and managed to drag us out of our corners, and I have been and will always be grateful for that. If not for him, I wouldn't have ever fully understood why friends care about each other, and I hope you have friends as loyal as Sigurd and Quan are.

I can only hope that you will forgive me for abandoning you and Grahnye when I should have been there, and no matter what you do, I will always love you.

Your father,

Eldigan

* * *

**Notes:**

**Since this is my first fanfiction, I'm not sure what to write, but I'll try:**

**This is the fist chapter of a fanfiction I thought when I was playing Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War (FE4) and was up to the part where Andrei/Andorey/Andre/other names ordered his soldiers to either leave Silesse or attack Silesse (the capital, not the country) and for some reason, that made me think about writing a fanfiction from the perspective of some of FE4's bosses and/or antagonists since most of them are more neutral than bad (are at least bad with good intentions), and have realistic motives.**

**When I was halfway through, I remembered the letter Nanna gives to Ares (Chapter 8 - Dragonknights of Thracia) and decided to turn this into that letter, but it's probably bigger than the developers were thinking of. The P.O.V. change might look a little weird, though.**

**Some of this is inspired by one of Nayfiel Lilith's fanfictions, "Memoirs of the Holy War," a FE4 novelization that I'm probably too obsessed with. (So if you're reading this and are annoyed because I took some things from your fanfiction… Uh... Sorry?) It's also based off the script for the Project Naga patch.**

**And since I used lines from the game (and just in general), here's a disclaimer: I don't own or am connected at all to Nintendo, Intelligent Systems and other developers/companies that I'm probably forgetting.**


	2. Deet'var - Decision (760 Grann)

Deet'var/Decision (760 Grann)

* * *

I have no doubts that, after what I have done, people will start wondering why I did what I did: Betray Queen Rahna, the other pegasus knights and Silesse itself, in a way, to side with her brother-in-law, Duke Maios; leave my daughter, Misha, when she was just an infant.

A part of me was confused, too: why should I betray not only the country I live in, but the people I knew and trained alongside for years? The rest of me wanted to fight this country for easily welcoming back Prince Lewyn after he fled years ago. I suppose, in a way, these thoughts were a big factor in my own "civil war" in my head.

I _knew_ people would think that I decided to fight against Silesse for more money and power, but in this case, that wasn't it. I wanted the chance to prove that a future ruler couldn't run at the sight of danger. I wanted this country to be safe for my daughter. To ensure that, I needed to make sure that no one would ever think of doing something similar.

While I was running those thoughts through my head, I started cleaning my lance, covering the towel with dirt. Thove could receive orders to attack at any time, so I needed to be prepared for anything.

My Miracle Band nudged my arm. It was a present from Annand, years ago, when I had just joined the Silessian pegasus knights. I smiled sadly. As much as I was angry at her or this country, and as much as Pamela was prepared to do anything, no matter what, I couldn't bring myself to hate her. Not completely, at least. And that wasn't bringing up how ironic the fact that we were now on opposite sides.

But that didn't matter, now. Any day now, I would attack Sailane with a group of pegasus knights under Duke Maios's command, and I would do what must be done to save my country, regardless of what friendships I once had.

Still, as I stood there, thinking about it, tears started filling my eyes. The thought of fighting Annand and her younger sister, Erinys, worried me. What if I couldn't kill them, like I couldn't force myself to hate any of my former allies?

I forced myself to stop thinking about it, and stopped myself from crying. No matter what, I was one of the Four Falcon Knights of Silesse, and hand-picked by Duke Maios to lead his army into battle. I was trained to stand against _anyone _in _any _army, and I wasn't going to let my country down.

"Deet'var!" I heard Duke Maios say. "Is the army ready to deploy yet?"

"Yes, sir," I said, turning in his direction while keeping a calm yet determined expression on my face. "I have received word that Bishop Cuvuli's wind mage unit has infiltrated the forests near Sailane. They await your command, sir."

"Very well," Duke Maios responded. "Relay my orders to Cuvuli: move in on Sailane! I trust your pegasus corps are already briefed on your mission?"

I nodded. "Yes, sir. Our task is clear. My squadron is to raid the enemy from above, disrupting their tactics."

"Good," he said. "Now get to work! Grannvale will owe us a handsome reward for bringing them the heads of their infamous traitors! Heh heh heh…"

With that, he walked away, laughing.

I picked up my spear and armor, and hurried to prepare for battle.

I didn't know if we'd win. I didn't even know if I could do what I had to.

But I _would_. As a knight of Silesse, I would save this country. I had to, no matter what.

* * *

**Notes:**

**The reason this chapter is shorter is because there isn't a lot of information to do with Deet'var (or Pamela. Hopefully, the next chapter won't just be a repeat of this, and I'll be able to think of things to write….). I managed to find enough things to write about, though.**

**(Also, for some reason the lines I used to separate parts weren't showing up, so I just added a few lines in between the main story and this, and made it bold. EDIT: Now it might be fixed, but I'm not sure yet.)**

**Deet'var is a little OOC, but I did that because I like the idea of her showing herself to other people as someone cold and ruthless, willing to do anything for money or power, but actually being someone who cares about her daughter and doesn't want to fight, but hides her emotions. It also separates Deet'var from Pamela, which will make it easier when I write her chapter.**

**The Miracle Band being a present is something I got from MotHW (Memoirs of the Holy War, a fanfiction by Naryfiel Lilith), but I changed to being a present from years ago to make her nostalgic, and to not want to have to fight her (former) friends.**


	3. Pamela - Anger (760 Grann)

Pamela/Loyalties (760 Grann)

* * *

Words couldn't define my anger now. _Nothing_ could stop myself from doing what must be done. To ensure Silesse's future, I had to kill any traitors threatening its safety, even if that meant betraying Queen Rahna. Even if that meant killing anyone in my way.

As my group (along with the Jungby soldiers following shortly behind) and I approached Annand and the remaining pegasus knights siding with Queen Rahna, she looked calm, as if she had expected this, but sad.

"It's been a while, Pamela," she said calmly. "I've known you for years, ever since we trained side by side to become knights. But not once did I ever suspect we would someday find ourselves as enemies."

"Annand," I replied, trying to stay calm, but couldn't. "Only you would be so foolish as to insist on following your queen to her inevitable grave! How can you expect Lewyn to be a good king, when he fled once already? Why should I complain, though? After all, once you're out of the way, that leaves me as the greatest knight of Silesse!"

Annand sighed, which infuriated me, and then was silent for a moment.

"The only fool here is you, Pamela," she said finally. "No... It's too late to change your mind. You're so set on your fate. Very well. All I can do for you now is give you a last honorable duel befitting a Silessian knight."

I laughed. "Saccharine as ever, aren't you?"

The two of us flew through the air, dodging each other's attacks, but it wasn't long before Andrei and his knights ambushed Annand's, before Annand was dead.

But the fact that she was still calm, that she was _happy _angered me even more.

Days later, I received word that Sigurd and his army seized Thove, and that they were coming south to rescue Queen Rahna and avenge Annand. I barely had time to prepare my soldiers when _Erinys and Lewyn _infiltrated the castle by themselves.

"Oh," I said, standing up and smirking. "_Prince_ Lewyn and Erinys. It's been awhile, hasn't it? I've some news for you. I've now surpassed Annand. _Permanently_."

"Pamela!" Lewyn yelled. "How dare you!"

'P-Pamela... Pamela!" Erinys cried in anger. "What you did to Annand is unforgivable!"

"I could say the same of both of you. After all, all of this is your fault! Prepare yourself," I added, turning to Erinys. "You're about to join your dear, departed sister!"

Lewyn looked like he wanted to stop her, but she looked at him determinedly. "I will make it out alive," she said firmly. "I owe it to my sister."

He nodded a little shakily, and then left the room.

"And now," she said, anger flashing in her eyes, "I will stop you for Annand's sake. For the people you've killed!'

"You say that like you haven't killed anyone you knew, too," I laughed.

I reached for lance, but she stopped me.

"We'll settle this as pegasus knights, in the sky," she said.

I scowled. What made her think that she could challenge me, let alone defeat me in battle, or decide the conditions of it?

Nevertheless, I agreed. After all, what hope did she have in standing against me?

The two of us mounted our pegasi outside, and flew through the air, just like when I had fought Annand. Unlike her sister, she attacked fiercely.

We flew through the air, dodging attacks almost gracefully, like a dance in the skies. When she managed to hit me, she asked me a question.

"Why did you do it?" she shouted. "Why did you betray my sister and Queen Rahna; betray _Silesse_?"

I flew out slightly out of her range. The cut wasn't too bad; at least, I thought. "You know why," I said. "You _know_ I was angry at Lewyn for leaving this country after the king died. He should've accepted the throne, not ran away from it!"

"But-"

"Oh, come on," I retorted before she could continue. "I know that you still think he can change, that he can still be a good king after what has happened. But who knows whether or not he'll leave the next time a crisis happens? _This country_ can't afford his mistakes, Erinys!"

"Fight me!" I shouted, when she didn't respond. "That's what you wanted to do in the first place, wasn't it?"

She nodded as shakily as Lewyn. "Fine," she said, blinking away tears in her eyes. "If I must."

We charged at each other, dodging each other just as before, but this time I was losing. She charged at me one last time, and knocked me out of the air.

As I fell, I saw someone, maybe a hallucination. _Annand. _She was reaching her hand out for me to take it.

Tears filled my eyes. If this was really Annand, she forgave me for what I had done. Even after killing her, _she still forgave me_.

I couldn't be angry anymore. I couldn't get any angrier. There wasn't anything I could do now. So, instead, I started crying, taking her hand.

* * *

**Notes: **

**So, again, there wasn't a lot to write about Pamela, but I tried. I also tried to make Pamela seem more realistic. **

**Since Eldigan and Deet'var's chapters were just thinking, with some dialogue, I tried adding two of the fights that happen (though one of them is out of your control). Hopefully, it doesn't look rushed.**

**The next few chapters (especially the next one) will be hard, considering it's Andrei, Langbalt and Reptor next. I was actually going to do Andrei first, but changed my mind. Hopefully, I'll be able to come up with things to write.**

**Since I'm taking things from the game (I know it's from a fan translation, but I want to be careful), here's a disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with FE4, or the Fire Emblem series in general. (I'll use this as the disclaimer every chapter, because I'm too lazy to come up with something else every time.)**


	4. Andrei - Screams (761 Grann)

Andrei/Screams (761 Grann)

* * *

Voices echoed throughout my head, threatening to explode. Screams from the pegasus knights that I'd killed, my father's voice, sad and hurt at me betraying him. At me _killing_ him.

I shook my head mentally. They were all gone, and now I would rule Jungby. Though even as I thought that, I knew I couldn't convince myself otherwise. It had been two years, and I was still thinking about it, the voices as threatening as ever.

I took a deep breath. I was Jungby's new duke. I had achieved what other people thought I couldn't. _I_ could get over a panic attack.

But deep down, I knew that this wasn't anything ordinary. Retaining the memories for over two years proved at least that.

I tightened my grip on my bow. No matter what, I would have to fight alongside Langbalt, which meant fighting Sigurd and his army, including Aideen, my _sister._ My only sibling, after Brigid's death years ago. Could I even fight her?

'_No,'_ I stopped myself. _'I am Jungby's duke, as well as a loyal Grannvalean citizen and soldier. Killing the traitors who helped kill Prince Kurth, who sided with the Isaachians is only justice. If Aideen gets in the way, then so be it.'_

Before I could continue the fight inside my head, a soldier interrupted my thoughts. "Duke Andrei, sir?" he asked nervously. I suspected that the fact that I had killed my father had been spread throughout my army, but I hadn't said anything about it.

"Yes?" I said impatiently.

"Sir," he began again, "I received a message that Duke Langbalt has located Duke Byron and is ready to attack. He thinks that Duke Byron wants to give Tyrfing to Sigurd, as he is approaching Zaxon."

I nodded. "Good. Please find someone to give Duke Langbalt a message of my own."

"Yes, sir," the soldier said, a little shakily, as if worried that I might kill him at any moment. "And what would that message be?"

"The messenger should tell him that I am ready to fight Sigurd and his army alongside him and his army at any time necessary." The soldier nodded again, but when he was about to leave I stopped him. "Please send someone else to prepare my army to leave at a moment's notice."

He nodded again, and left the room.

There was no one or nothing that could stop me now. Not my memories, Sigurd, any army... my family.

I would do what must be done, even if no one understood why.

* * *

Arrows flew from throughout the battlefield, hitting their targets. You could hear swords slicing through their owners' enemies, axes killing numerous people easily, lances stabbing their wielders' opponents before they could blink. Mages attacked with fire, wind, and thunder, and you could hear that, too.

But, of course, this was just an ordinary day on a battlefield, which proved how strange and horrifying being a soldier was. But that just meant that to be one, you had to move past that. Past the death and the pain.

I turned my attention back to the battlefield as a soldier was about to attack me. Quickly, I pulled back and fired a few arrows before he could get close. That was just another part of battle: you couldn't let your guard down, no matter what; or the next thing you knew, you would be on the ground, an enemy soldier's sword to your throat.

A while later, when I had thought that we were winning, a mysterious woman broke through our army in the chaos. We had been too occupied with fighting one side of Sigurd's army that she had managed to slip in.

I - and the other soldiers near me - fired arrows into the arrows into the air at once. But when we could see her again, she wasn't injured. She wasn't even _scratched_. Every arrow had landed conveniently next to her, but none of them had _hit_ her. In the chaos, she had managed to hit all of the soldiers near me, killing them. But that wasn't the strangest part.

She had long blond hair, the same as Aideen's. She was wearing a short sleeved orange shirt, skirt and boots, and a white bandage covered her forehead, but she was otherwise indistinguishable from Aideen. And the bow she was holding was Yewfelle. It had to be. I was raised hearing the stories of Ullir and the luck he and his descendants had, as I was one. It would explain the arrows missing her.

"Brigid?" I asked aloud, as if that would make it more believable. "How are you alive?" I shook my head after a moment. "No, it doesn't matter. You are a traitor and disgrace to House Jungby, to the Crusader Ullir and to Grannvale itself. For that, I must kill you."

Brigid glared at me angrily. "How can you say anything, when you killed Father! _You_, Andrei, are the disgrace to Jungby's honor, and to the good name of the Crusader Ulir!"

She aimed an arrow, and let go.

It flew slower than any arrow I'd seen, hitting me at last in the chest, knocking me off my horse.

I breathed slowly, tears falling down my face. I tried to stop them, but I couldn't. I didn't even know why, but I was.

Memories flew through my head quickly as I stopped restraining them, and started accepting them, instead.

My mistakes finally reached me: killing my father, the innocent pegasus knights, everything.

When had I become this way? When Brigid was presumed dead? When I couldn't accept being a leader? When I couldn't accept the fact that Langbalt and Reptor were wrong, that Sigurd and his army, including _Aideen,_ were traitors.

'_Father...'_ I thought as tears covered my face. _'Mother, Aideen, Brigid, Scipio… Please forgive me.'_

* * *

**Notes:**

**So, I kind of rushed this because I realized I was really late (The Masked Arrow chapter's tomorrow), but I tried to fit everything together in a way that made sense.**

**I took some things from the Oosawa manga, and I changed his personality a little, but he's mainly the same, since he's hiding how he really feels (which is what I've been doing with other characters, actually. Uh, sorry). **

**So from here, the POV characters are mostly characters who do things worse than kill an old friend, like:**

**1) Killing their father**

**2) Killing their future king**

**3) Killing their friend and that friend's friends, who are also the friends of their brother**

**Yeah, this is going to be interesting. And hard.**

**So far, this is the list of first gen characters after Andrei:**

**1) ****Langbalt**

**2) Travant**

**3) ****Reptor**

**4) Arvis**

**5) Aida**

**I'm also sticking Manfroy somewhere, but I don't know where yet (if he isn't in the first gen group of characters, he **_**will**_** be in the second gen ones, though). Also, I might switch Reptor and Travant's positions around.**

**Something else I decided to do was move Chapter 5 and the Belhalla Massacre to 761 Grann, like Naryfiel Lilith did, but instead of an 18 year gap, it's a 16 year one, which still brings the Gen 2 start year to 777 Grann (In game, the BM is in 760 Grann and the Gen 2 is 17 years later).**

**Since I'm taking things from the game (I know it's from a fan translation, but I want to be careful), here's a disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with FE4, or the Fire Emblem series in general.**


	5. Langbalt - Family (761 Grann)

Langbalt/Family (761 Grann)

* * *

At any point in someone's life, they might realize that everything they have done was all leading up to a giant mistake. It might be when they, or someone they love, die(s). It might be when they lose everything important to them, and it might be when the people they love leave them.

In my case, it was neither, and yet all of them.

It had started when Byron had been found, and I had just sent a messenger to Andrei with a letter asking to help ambush him.

I hated him. No, I _loathed_ him. It took everything in me to even _ask_ for his help. In any other situation, I would never have asked Andrei, but at that point, it was my only option.

_**'Damn**__ that insolent worm,'_ I thought angrily. I had hated Kurth, Byron and Ring for _years - _I was even the one to _**kill **_Prince Kurth -but even _I_ still admitted that this wasn't how Ring deserved to die, at the hands of a son who didn't care at all. _'To think he isn't even the slightest bit remorseful for __**killing**__ his own father! Duke Ring, may you be at peace.'_

Across the room, I could feel Helswath vibrating, as if it was agreeing with me. Years ago, this might have surprised me, but not anymore.

My ancestor, Neir, had made some type of contract with the twelve dragons, along with the other Twelve Crusaders. That had given him and his descendents the ability to be almost completely unaffected by most physical attacks, among other things. The dragons had also given the Crusaders the Holy Weapons, twelve weapons that had the power of dragons. So it wouldn't surprise me if people with Major Holy Blood had a connection with their Holy Weapon, other than the ability to use it.

I sighed. This was a mess that even Holy Blood, as powerful as the stories said, couldn't get me out of. And in an effort to get rid of Kurth, Ring and Byron, I had abandoned my sons. I should have been a better father to Lex and Danann years ago, and now my past decisions were taking their revenge out on me.

I sat down. At this point, the only thing I could do was wait.

* * *

Almost a day later, I received a message from some of my soldiers saying that Byron was now dead, but had been able to pass Tyrfing on to Sigurd. And now, Sigurd and his army were marching towards Lubeck, where I - along with a section of my army - was stationed. In short, the situation I was in was so bad that it was almost amusing.

At that second, I heard yells and screams coming from outside. I quickly stood up and grabbed Helswath, preparing for any attack. If they wanted a fight, I would be defeated that easily.

As I stood there, wondering who would come in to attack me, _Lex _walked in, along with the princess of Isaach, _Ayra_.

"L-Lex," I managed to say, shocked.

Lex nodded a little shakily, and tears started filling his eyes, but he still looked determined.

"Yes, Father," he responded, trying to remain calm. With each word, he grew more confident in what he was saying. "At first, I wasn't sure whatI should do, but then I realized that I had to. You and Reptor killed Prince Kurth, and framed Duke Byron and Sigurd for it; you _betrayed_ Grannvale. You killed King Mananan, the father of the person I love. But," he said, tears threatening to break free, "please forgive me, Father."

Several feelings spiraled throughout my head. Anger. Betrayal. Disappointment. But at the same time, I felt guilty and I understod. I felt the now-strange, fatherly instinct to congratulate him on finding someone who _cared_ for him, who was _meant_ for him.

But now, I couldn't. It was too late now, and both of us knew it. But still, I would fight. If I wanted to prove my past self wrong, I had to show that I didn't underestimate him. Not anymore.

It was the only thing I could give him now, and therefore my only choice.

* * *

**Notes:**

**So, this is the shortest chapter I've written so far. I was thinking about making it longer, but decided not to stretch in the end.**

**I was worried about writing this in the beginning, because Langbalt is at least in his late 40s, which is the oldest character so far (I think Eldigan was the oldest up until now, in his mid to, at most, late 20s).**

**I wanted to take something from the Oosawa manga, but ended up making him closer to the game instead.**

**If you're wondering why, in the manga Langbalt "surrenders" in order to infiltrate Zaxon, and before he reveals this, Lex talks to him, while he is in a cell. Langbalt convinces Lex to let him out, which leads to Lex on the ground, asking his father why he won't kill him now, so he won't kill _him _later.**

**Langbalt basically tells him that he should just rot on the floor while he kills everyone else, because he thinks that there's no way Lex can or will kill him. Yeah, he trusts people he either barely knows or are strangers to him more than he trusts _his own son._**

**Not to mention that he leaves Lex thinking that it's all _his_ fault, and that he just failed their family _again_.**

**So instead, I made him a combination of the game version and the way I thought made sense.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem, or the people who make the games in the series.**


	6. Travant - Loyalties (761 Grann)

Travant/Loyalties (761 Grann)

* * *

Heat filled the atmosphere, burning anyone and anything that dared to enter; especially my soldiers and I, who were wearing armor. The sun glared dangerously in our direction, threatening to kill. That was a normal situation for a desert, but the Yied Desert was even more extreme compared to any that I had ever heard of.

Though, despite this, we prepared to enter the dangerous, barren desert. As Thracia had the less than fertile south, its inhabitants were willing to do anything to survive - even if that meant becoming mercenaries. In fact, the Thracian Dragon Knights were known for it.

But the fact remained that the ongoing war between both halves of the Thracian Peninsula had been raging for over a century, and didn't look like it would end soon without coming up with a different plan than charging and hoping for the best. It was a war that had started with our ancestors, Dáinn and Njörun, after all, after the Tragedy of Gáe Bolg had divided the peninsula in two.

Therefore, I had thought of something else. An ambush in which I would send some soldiers to attack Leonster, and then follow Quan, Ethlyn and the soldiers they would be taking with them to Sigurd's aid through the Yied Desert, which was known for its harshness. They would expect that I would attack Leonster myself, as that was my opportunity to reunify Thracia, but that would be too obvious. That had led to countless failures and stalemates.

Noticing that we were nearing the right location, I turned to my soldiers. "Men, close in! This is it! Thracia's destiny lies before us, ripe for the grasping!" The nearby air was immediately filled with determined and loyal "Yes, sir!"s. "Then prepare for battle," I finished calmly, and I flew down - my soldiers following me - quickly, yet discreetly in hopes of my plan working. That was all I could hope for.

* * *

If I would credit Leonster's soldiers for anything, it would be efficiency. As soon as we approached them, a few of the soldiers alerted Quan immediately. But there was still not even a _chance_ that they would make it out of the desert alive.

As I flew closer, I noticed Quan was talking to Ethlyn.

"Ethlyn, run!" he said desperately. "Travant has been at our heels all along! We've no hope of victory in this blasted desert!"

"But," Ethlyn said quietly. "What will you do?"

"They're like wild hyenas, Ethlyn!" Quan protested. "Children are little more than easy _targets_ for them! Thracia has sought to reconquer our territory for over a century. I knew that my absence would be taken as an invitation, so I left Finn behind with half the army in case they made the obvious move. Not once…" he shook his head. "Not even_ once_ did I ever suspect they would pursue _us_ instead! I... This was all a mistake.."

"You can't give up now, Quan," Ethlyn said softly, holding his hand. "It'll be okay. We're together, aren't we? At the very least, together we'll not go down easily!"

He nodded, but at the same time whispered, "Ethlyn, forgive me, please…"

Their conversation was interrupted by their child. She turned to her child, whispering reassurances to her. _Her_. It was most likely Altena, Quan and Ethlyn's daughter.

I snorted. Why would they bring their _child _through the Yied Desert? It was one of the most idiotic things I had heard of, and I was _used_ to hearing things like this, as I was the leader of a country, and therefore saw a large amount of idiotic actions and decisions.

But as I flew in her direction to attack, Quan blocked Gungnir, the Lance of the Heavens, with Gáe Bolg, the Lance of the Earth. A sound, almost like a cry, reverberated through the air.

"Away, Travant!" Quan yelled angrily. "As long as I have the Gáe Bolg, _I will not lose!_"

"Then make me, if you really think that," I retorted.

At the same time, Ethlyn was facing some of my men, and wasn't able to dodge most of the attacks, as she was protecting Altena. But even so, she continued, even at the cost of her life.

I blinked for a moment, feeling some sort of pain. Something wasn't right, though I didn't know what it was.

"Your fight is with me!" Quan yelled, attacking me with his spear and bringing me back to reality. He had a disadvantage, riding a horse in a desert, but he was holding his own against me.

"Correct," I said, having just blocked his attack in time.

The fight went on for far longer than I kept track. Several times, it looked like one of us would win, but the other quickly regained his balance, and continued fighting.

A little while later, when Ethlyn was killed by my soldiers, I felt the same, strange pain again.

"Oh, Ethlyn," Quan whispered sadly, tears filling his eyes, his grip on his lance shaky. "Forgive me, please."

"What should we do with the child?" one of my soldiers asked me, interrupting our thoughts.

"So, how do you feel about _this _situation, Quan?" I said, staring directly at him.

"Travant!" Quan yelled. "You can have Gáe Bolg, but don't you dare so much as _scratch_ Altena!"

"Fine," I said coldly, plunging Gungnir into Quan's chest. He was startled for a moment, but then was surprisingly satisfied. He looked sad, but still calm.

"And so ends Quan," I said calmly, removing Gungnir before turning to a general who had come with me. "Magorn!"

He blinked and then turned to me. "Yes, sir?"

"You're in charge now," I replied. "Head north and give Sigurd's army a fair share of grief. Let _none_ of them escape; There's a fine bounty on each traitorous head, after all."

Magorn nodded. "Yes, sir! Er, that said, what are we supposed to do with this child? She's just crying and crying. We don't know how to handle this. Shall I put her out of her misery, sir?"

I thought for a moment. "_Certainly_ not. Hand her over to me. She and Gáe Bolg are coming with me back to Thracia."

"Can't say I expected this, sir," he replied. "If I may, why exactly are you taking her home with you?"

'Moron!" I snapped. "You've no need to know! Keep that mouth of yours out of business that isn't yours!"

Magorn flinched. "Y-yes, sir. I beg your forgiveness, sir. By your leave, sir, we will pursue Sigurd's rebels."

"Good," I said coldly. "_Don't_ fail me."

He nodded, and then flew off to alert the other soldiers.

I turned to Altena, who by now had seen her dead parents and was shaking them desperately while tears filled her eyes.

I felt my stomach lurch as I came to a horrid realization. Up until now, I had wondered why I felt pained when I looked at Ethlyn protecting Altena, and why I had spared the princess of Leonster in the first place.

But then I realized it. She was around the same age as my _own_ son, Arion, who I cared about so much.

I reached my hand out for Altena, and after half a minute, she took it nervously.

As I picked her up carefully - with her permission - all I could do was wonder how this would affect the future: for my family, _and_ for Thracia.

* * *

**Notes:**

**So now that I finished the first Travant chapter (AKA the Yied Massacre), there's only a few more chapters left of the first generation, which is funny, since it feels like I barely started.**

**I picked this chapter title because of Travant's loyalty to his country, which means that "Massacre" is still open for one of Arvis's chapters.**

**He's also the second character in this to be in FEH, after Eldigan (and here's a quote that stuck in my head: "Remember well the name of Travant… He who will see you swallowed by the afterlife!"). **

**Something I want to mention for people who don't know: The Yied Massacre plays out in game and have separate turns. If you seize Phinora before it happens, they disappear anyway. That also happens if you ignore Eldigan (chapter 3) and seize Silvail.**

**I keep forgetting to respond to reviews, but I remembered this time. Since they're all written by guests, I'm not sure how to sort them by, but I'll separate them by review and date for now.**

**Guest (2-25): I'm going to take things from the Oosawa manga, but do most of the time from the game and my interpretation. And I also hope I don't mess Arvis up. I actually have a draft for the second story (yeah, you guessed right), but it's only a draft so far and takes place around Chapter 10, so it's not going to be uploaded for a while.**

**Guest (3-06): I actually don't ship Lex/Ayra because of that (not that I'm judging you for shipping different characters). It's mainly because 1) Naryfiel Lillth's fanfictions are the reason I got into, and one of the reasons I'm obsessed with, the Jugdral games, and her fanfictions have Lex/Ayra, and 2) The Brave Sword event. (It **_**is**_** fun playing as Larcei and Ulster and using them to destroy pretty much anything, though. Unless they get destroyed first, though, but I understand why you prefer paring Ayra with Arden, even though I probably will never do that.**

**Guest (3-08): It's funny how one person **_**likes**_** Arvis, and doesn't want me to mess him up, and another person **_**hates**_** Arvis completely. I used to hate him, but now I'm more neutral, but closer to liking him than disliking him. (Like my opinions on ships, I don't really care **_**that**_** much if people hate or love certain characters.) I might (probably) have read it wrong, but I think you might've mixed Deirdre and Cigyun. I like your suggestion (I was rushing the last chapter, so I thought I might forget to put things in, or write the wrong things), and I'll try to add it in.**

**EDIT: Something I forgot to mention was that I took one of the things Quan says in this chapter from his dialogue in game and his dialogue in FEH. **

**Disclaimer:** **Since I'm taking things from the game (I know most of it's from a fan translation, but I want to be careful), here's a disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with FE4, or the Fire Emblem series in general. **


	7. Reptor - Betrayal (761 Grann)

Reptor/Betrayal (761 Grann)

* * *

At some point, I had thought I could expect anything; that no matter what, nothing could surprise me. But of course, I was wrong. More wrong than I could have ever possibly imagined.

To understand, I'll need to explain the events beforehand:

It had started after Langbalt and I had received permission from King Azmur to confront the "traitorous" Byron and his son, Sigurd. Byron was dead, but he had managed to pass Tyrfing on to Sigurd in his last moments. To some people, that might not seem so bad, but as I had Major Holy Blood, l understood just how bad this situation might get, including the fact that Tyrfing gave the wielder a strong resistance to magic, and that the Holy Weapon _I _could wield was Mjölnir, a strong thunder_ tome_.

But that didn't mean that I didn't stand a chance, of course. _My_ army was ready to intercept Sigurd's, and I had Aida supporting me with _Velthomer's_ army. And there was the fact that he had just inherited Tyrfing, meaning that he didn't have that much experience using it, whereas I had been wielding Mjölnir for _years_.

But there was _one _problem, though: my daughter, Tailtiu, had joined Sigurd's army. I had never found out her reasoning for doing this, since she had snuck out when she knew no one was there. The worry of her leaving being my fault, somehow, had haunted my thoughts for the last two and a half years: What if I hadn't been a good father for her? What if I, while focusing my attention on the war against Isaach and on Sigurd, had pushed her away myself? Those thoughts, along with similar ones, had echoed throughout my head again and again, refusing to stop.

"Lord Reptor?" I turned around to see a panting messenger run up to me. "I have an important message!"

"And what is it?" I questioned.

"Lady Aida has requested a meeting with you," he replied, still out of breath. "She said that it is urgent, sir."

I nodded in response, and the messenger half-ran, clearly relieved to take a break.

As I walked to Velthomer Castle, the message echoed through my head, puzzling me. It wasn't that Aida wanted a meeting; we had several in the past few days, discussing the necessities for the plan. It was the fact that this meeting was urgent. As of now, it had never been urgent enough to have an emergency meeting. I wondered what was so serious to _require_ a meeting like this in the first place.

As I walked through the castle to a room the two of us had been using to strategise, I felt uneasy, as if something bad were about to happen. I tried to stop myself from thinking that way, but the more I pushed them away, the harder they came back. As much as I tried to lie to myself, to ignore the signals, I couldn't help but notice that the soldiers were acting more distant than on other occasions that I had been here.

As I arrived at the room and opened the door, my entire body itself screamed warnings and signs to enter the room, things I ignored. I was the duke of Friege: I could handle whatever danger was behind this door, If there so happened to be any.

"So you came in time." Like the soldiers and the atmosphere itself, something was wrong with Aida's expression, and from the way she was talking. But as with the soldiers, I couldn't understand what it was.

"Well," I said staying calm despite my anger at myself for not understanding what exactly was wrong, "the messenger you sent claimed that this was an emergency."

"Yes, it is," Aida agreed, and then gestured at a chair which I sat down on, attempting to look grateful, but my suspicions were growing by the second. I knew something felt wrong, but wasn't sure _what_. "Sigurd and his army will be here shortly, so we need to prepare for the worst."

"Yes," I replied. "What are you suggesting?"

"An ambush," Aida replied a little absentmindedly, as if she focused on talking to me anymore, but rather someone else. "I know they won't be suspicious if we do this _carefully_."

"And what steps should we take to ensure that?" I asked cautiously.

"This," she said, stabbing me in the leg with a dagger she always had with her, in case of an emergency. Now that she had done it, it became obvious that she would betray me. If _only_ I realised in time. But what exactly were she and Arvis planning?

I took the dagger out quickly. I _knew_ that this would most likely make the injury worse, but then, that wasn't the most important problem. I could worry about it if I made it out of this room.

Thinking quickly, I ran to the window, opened it and jumped out, which was something I didn't think I would have to do. The landing was more painful than I thought it would be, but that wasn't important now.

* * *

A soldier ran up to me as soon as I made it back. "Sir, are you okay?"

"Tell the rest of the army that not only Sigurd's army is coming to attack us," I said, "but _Aida's_ as well."

"W-what do you mean?" she asked worriedly.

"Tell them to prepare for combat," I ordered.

"Yes, sir!" she said before running off.

I sighed. I had suspicions, but none _this_ bad. But even in this situation, I would not stand down. I would keep fighting, as I was Friege's duke.

* * *

An hour later, after I had gotten my injuries looked at, a messenger ran into the room I was in. I stood up immediately, preparing myself for anything.

"Sir," he began, "Sigurd's army and the Velthomer army are charging toward us."

"Then we must show them what it means to be a soldier of Friege," I said, picking up Mjölnir from where it was laying on my desk.

As I put my armor on top of my clothing, he said, "Uh.. Sir, you're fighting, too?"

"What would it mean if I just left my soldiers to die?" I replied calmly. I assumed that this was someone who just recently joined. "After all, _I_ am the general of this army. _Not_ anyone else."

He nodded before leaving.

* * *

Shortly afterwards, I was standing with my soldiers near where Sigurd and his army were approaching.

Before the battle began, I expected to fight anyone in Sigurd's army, even - though I didn't want to - Tailtiu. But who I _didn't _expect was Azel, _Arvis's_ younger brother.

I had met him before, when he visited Tailtiu. Now, he didn't seem as nervous as was all those years ago. He looked a little shaky, but still confident.

"I came to fight you _instead_ of Tailtiu," he said.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked him, a little curious.

"When she heard that we would have to fight, she wasn't sure what to do," he explained cautiously, wondering, maybe, if I was about to attack him at any moment. "And I didn't want her to have to worry about killing her father… you. So… I promised her that she wouldn't have to worry about fighting you. That _I'd_ fight you, instead."

That answer stopped me for a moment. I had thought of many situations, many scenarios in how the battle would go, but this was one I had not anticipated. But at the same time it fit in perfectly, like the missing piece to a puzzle. It made sense. It was just so ironic that Arvis's brother, of all people, would love my daughter, after Aida's betrayal.

"Then it comes to this," I responded quietly. "Before now, I would never have dreamed that I would have to fight the one of the people who care about my daughter, but this is the way it has to be."

The fight went on for an immeasurable amount of time. We dodged each other's attacks for what seemed endless, until one did manage to hit me.

Any other fight, any other time, I would have stood up and continued fighting, but not now. Not when I knew that there were people alive who cared about my children enough to keep them safe, at the very least for Tailtiu's sake. Knowing that was enough to satisfy me.

Because for once in a very long time, I didn't have a feeling that I was somehow betraying my ancestors and, more importantly, my family. I had betrayed everyone, but maybe I could pay them back, at least a little.

* * *

("Hm, hm, hm... It's time you had a lesson in obedience. Your teacher will be the supreme thunder magic Mjölnir!" - Reptor)

Notes:

So, I'm so sorry for not posting in over two weeks, but I basically got writer's block when Azel showed up, and I got a headache afterwards.

I was playing a lot of Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, so I kind of want to say what I think about the Act 4 and 5, but I'l put it after my responses to reviews and the disclaimer, so you don't have to read it; I just want to get my thoughts out.

I wrote Reptor mostly like how he is in the Oosawa manga, except Aida tricks him into giving her Mjölnir instead of stabbing him, which is what I decided to do randomly. Also, the trusting that Azel can keep Tailtiu safe part is from there, too, where he escapes with her, tells Azel to look after her and accepts his fate.

I don't know why I keep making the random messengers male, but I guess I'm subconsciously thinking of the gatekeeper in Three Houses. Either way, I made one female this chapter.

Now I like having a quote, so I put what Reptor says when Sigurd's army gets close, and if Velthomer is still an enemy.

By the way, my first thoughts on the situation in Chapter 5 when playing it for the first time were this:

Reptor: Killing Sigurd will be easy with Aida's help!

Aida: Uh, actually, I'm betraying you now.

Reptor: Wait, what?!

Reptor (after taking a moment to process this): Wait, you know thunder magic has an advantage against fire magic, right?

Aida: …

Aida: Well, at least Sigurd's army is coming, and _they_ can finish you off.

Reptor: (facepalms) How did I get into this situation again?

So, anyway, here are my responses to reviews:

JP I'm Italian (3-13):

The centuries thing was partially my fault and partially the game's fault, because that was directly taken from something Quan said and I didn't realize until you pointed it out, but the centuries part itself was a mistake on the people who made the game's part, since they wrote the dialogue.

I haven't looked at the fanfiction you recommended yet, but I've saved the name somewhere and will read it when I remember.

By the way, I _am_ trying to say who wrote what.

(This is just something that wouldn't leave my head, and I don't know a lot about the Tellius games, but I realized that both reviews were written on 3-13, and somehow, I know about the 3-13 archer. Somehow.)

Guest (3-13):

Not that I'm complaining, but I was shocked for a few seconds when I saw how long your review was, since it's about the average length of one of the chapters in this fanfiction!

But anyway, I completely agree with what you said about Arvis (So far, the 2nd Gen story is about him sending Tyfing to Seliph, actually), which seems too short but I don't want to spend too much time writing this, so I could finally publish this.

I'll say more about Arvis next chapter, but for now that's it.

Since I'm taking things from the game (I know it's from a fan translation, but I want to be careful), here's a disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with FE4, or the Fire Emblem series in general.

* * *

So, the first and main thing I wanted to say was that I never knew how sad FE15 was until now.

Like the end of Act 4, for instance. After spending a few minutes listening to Lord of a Dead Empire, I tried attacking Rudolf with Alm, and knowing the spoiler just made it sadder when "Rudolf isn't attacking for some reason" popped up on my 3DS's screen. And am I the only one who went straight for Rudolf to save the lives of his soldiers? Maybe it's just because of Awakening, but still…

And then Alm's conversation with Rudolf as he is dying was done pretty much perfectly, so basically, it was too sad for me to watch without closing my 3DS for a minute to take a moment to think about it. And Alm's scream when he realized what he did was even more sad, if that's possible. ("No, wait! Emperor Rudolf! Were you truly my father? Then I've just… Oh, gods… What have I done? Aah… AAAAAAAUGH!")

And then Fernand's death hitting you right after that just made the situation sadder, and whoever made the art for the backgrounds did a good job, because that just made it sadder. And Clive and Clair's reactions to him dying. Especially when you know his past…

Berkut and Rinea have been talked about a lot (for good reason, though), so I'll make this quick (accidental Lysithea quote). Berkut has been through a lot, with him feeling like everyone he knows betrayed him, including Rinea, so he resorts to the most desperate option: giving everything he has to Duma for power., and Ian Sinclair did an amazing job at showing that ("Nothing but lies! Lies, lies, lies, lies, LIES!" "It's time, Rinea. Come with me. We'll hold our wedding atop his funeral!").

And I've heard a theory that - Rinea - when he's dying - is an illusion, but (mainly because I don't want to make this sadder) I don't think so. I think that Rinea was saying that she didn't care about being empress or not as long as they were together, and while she'd rather have a calmer, more normal life, if it's what makes the person she loves happy, she's fine with it. But that's just my thought on that, but unless IS tells us directly, there's never going to be an answer.

And lastly, I have a short, sort of personal story about Twilight of the Gods, the music that plays in the final map. Basically, I had heard of TotG when I started getting interested in FE15, and all I know was that it seemed that people liked it, based on how many remixes and covers I saw. I didn't listen to it because I knew all the main spoilers, and didn't want to spoil the music for me.

Over a year and a half later (a few days ago), I accidently heard a bit of Gaiden's version, and tried to get it out of my head. The next day, I got up to the final map, and I listened for at least ten minutes just thinking about it, shocked, and I finally understood why people liked it so much.

And I almost forgot: the final chapter quotes are amazing. They just add the atmosphere, especially where you hear ones like Mathilda's, Boey's, Mae's and Conrad's.

(The Fell God's Tempest is amazing, too. And Lord of a Dead Empire. And.. Actually, pretty much everything in the FE15 OST)

(Also, while trying to complete the map, I listened to TotG so much I kept hearing "Eve Teschmacher" and "destroy the pizza")


	8. Arvis - Massacre (761 Grann)

Arvis/Massacre (761 Grann)

* * *

The skies were the way they should be: light blue filled with clouds. But even though it wasn't true, it couldn't erase the (ironically enough) blood-colored skies, as if someone had painted several dark layers over it. It gave an eerie feeling, as if something wasn't completely right. The ground was still littered with holes, like someone - or something - giant had used the ground as a punching bag. The people still went about their daily schedules, like nothing had happened, but really, it wasn't true. Really, something almost completely unbelievable had happened; something that would change their lives forever.

It started, I suppose, when I found Deirdre, unconscious and alone in a forest for who knew how long. When I found her, I was immediately thankful to Aida for making me take a break from working for once. Up until now, I'd been working nonstop, even with Aida helping, for either something to do with Velthomer or the Belhalla's royal guard, as I had been put in charge ever since Prince Kurth left with most of Belhalla's army, as well as most of Grannvale's as a whole. So when Aida almost forced me to (temporarily) leave, I decided to not argue and make the most out of it instead.

Belhalla's woods, or at least the woods nearby it, weren't that big, but with the similar-looking trees and almost completely covered sky, navigating them _was, _and I (thankfully) remembered that before I was completely lost. My mother had taken me to a similar forest years ago, or at least I remembered. It had been over two decades ago, so my memories of then were hazy. I vaguely remembered her face, and her sad smile, and how somehow I'd known something was wrong, and wanted to help fix it, even though I was too young to understand.

The air was almost still, but mostly in a relaxing way: so relaxing that I didn't feel the uneasiness I would normally have felt in the atmosphere, yelling to get my attention, to tell me that something was really, incredibly wrong.

Though as happy as I was, something stopped me. As I reached what was most likely the middle of the forest, I noticed something big on the ground. But when I got closer, I realized it was an unconscious woman with small injuries, like she tried to fight whoever had attacked her. She had pale skin and long silvery-(slightly) purple hair, and her forehead was semi-covered with a yellow circlet. She seemed familiar to me, though I didn't understand why. I shook my head mentally. This wasn't the time for that.

I grabbed her hand as gently as I could, hoping that would wake her up, and I was amazed and relieved to be right about that when her eyes opened. I supposed she wasn't as unconscious as I had first thought.

"Um…" she said after a moment. "Who are you? Where am I?" She suddenly looked terrified as if… Based on her questions and expression, she probably didn't have her memories, or at least I thought. It wasn't like I was an expert on amnesia, but I _had _heard stories of it before.

I tried to make myself look calm. "You're in a forest near Belhalla," I said. "I can explain everything after I make sure you get proper medical treatment." I hoped she would believe me, and not decide to stay here injured by herself.

After a moment of her thinking, she nodded, and I helped her walk towards the entrance of the woods. I'd expected to find somewhere to sit down, eat lunch and try to distract my mind from work. Never had I imagined that this would happen.

* * *

When I arrived, I immediately asked if she could be looked at the infirmary, which, like everything else in this castle, seemed ten times the size of a normal one. It seemed a little too big even for me, and I grew up in Velthomer Castle. My request was almost immediately answered by someone who was off-duty at the time, and I followed her to the large room.

She told me that based on her injuries, she was probably not alone for too long, so they were easier to heal because of that. When she woke up again (she had fallen asleep as soon as we arrived, though I couldn't blame her), I tried to explain things, like who I was (the duke of Velthomer) and that I hadn't heard of her before. She told me that her name was Deirdre, and she couldn't remember anything else about her past, despite trying.

While I was talking to her, I felt strangely happier and calmer than I had in a long time. I felt as if I didn't have to worry about any responsibilities I had, or any worries wandering my mind. I knew the feeling would go away soon, that reality would settle in again, but for now, everything was fine, that there wasn't a problem with finding an heir to replace Prince Kurth, and the war would be over soon.

* * *

Ever since that day, the two of us became closer until one day, I realized in one of the strangest ways that I was in _love _with her. When I proposed to her, she looked confused for a moment before saying yes happily.

But when I visited King Azmur (he'd been in bed for years with a sickness that had only gotten worse after his son's death, so I hadn't before) with Deirdre, he recognized her in a strange way, though he said he didn't understand why. But when he asked her to take off her circlet, she did, revealing the Brand of Naga.

The two of us stared blankly, equally shocked as my mind kept repeating the same word over and over: _How?_ It just couldn't be possible, but yet it was. Memories flew through my mind, of something I didn't remember.

* * *

In the months before the now-royal wedding, Deirdre and Aida (both of them were okay with the awkward situation with Aida and Saias) helping me was most likely the reason I didn't drown under the preparations. I'd heard of how much went into weddings, but I hadn't fully understood until now. And it was even harder, since it was the wedding for the heir of Belhalla, and Grannvale itself, in a way.

The wedding was nice, even though it was a little too grand, in my opinion, though it did make sense. People had been worried about the succession after Prince Kurth was killed. Deirdre and I slowly started adjusting to living in Belhalla. Castle. All the while, I wondered where my brother Azel was. He had joined Sigurd's army in 757 Grann, and with all the trouble that faced that group, I sadly hadn't been in contact with him in years. I worried about him.

One day, when I was wandering Belhalla Castle, I found a strange, hooded man lurking down one of the many corridors. When I followed him, intrigued, he led me to an old, empty room covered in dust. I wondered if not a lot of people knew about this room, and others like it, or if they knew but left it alone, which would be surprising considering that the rest of the castle was practically spotless.

He turned around, and I got a look at his face. He had unhealthy looking pale skin partially covered with what looked like burn marks. His eyes were dark and narrowed, like he was constantly annoyed, but his mouth twisted into an unsettling smile. He looked at me like he wasn't completely sure whether he hated me or not.

"Hello," he said at last, in a low, harsh voice. His tone made him sound like he had decided that he could _slightly _trust me. "My name is Manfroy, and I'd like to make you an offer."

I raised my eyebrows. "Please be specific," I replied calmly. He was foolish if he thought that I would simply agree to his plan, without asking for details on what this so-called great offer was. "And then, I'd like you to tell me who you are and how and why you managed to get here."

He didn't respond for a moment, completely quiet, before he said, "Very well. The reason I drew your attention to me, to follow me, was to get you to come to this deserted room, as I wanted to talk in private."

That definitely wasn't making me feel any less suspicious. "And what exactly did you want to talk about?" I asked.

"I, as well as my few comrades, have been preparing my plan for over a decade, waiting for the right moment to approach you," he began, "because I knew the plan would fail if I didn't take caution while proceeding. It would lead to my death."

I stared at him. Why would I want to _kill_ him just because he told me his plan? As he continued to talk, his plan just grew more suspicious by the second.

Unless… He had burn marks, _major_ burn marks based on how they looked. As the Fjallar Major of my generation, I grew up studying different kinds of burns. A thought kept appearing up in my head, over and over, refusing to leave. But it was _impossible_. There was no way I could be right. I _couldn't_ be.

"Just who _are_ you?" I asked him, my eyes almost narrowed as his.

He sighed. "I suppose I must. I am one of the Loptyrians in hiding, one of the few left."

I stifled a low gasp. Of _course _I had been completely right. "And what exactly _is_ your plan?" A part of me wanted to find out, _needed _to find out, but the other part was worried, afraid.

"My plan is to recreate the Loptyrian Empire to get revenge on the descendants of the Crusaders," he said simply, and yet coldly.

"And how do you know you can trust me?" I questioned. "_I _am a descendent of Fjallar, a Crusader?" Years before me, the Velthomer nobles had been extreme supporters of Loptyrian Hunts. When I became Duke, Loptyrian Hunts were the one of the first things I changed in Velthomer. "What if I tell someone your plan, or just kill you right now?"

"Would anyone believe you?" His eyebrows raised, and I had to, very reluctantly, agree that he had a point. People would think I was crazy. "And, yes," he agreed, unfazed. "I knew about your heritage. But you are also the descendent of someone else. Saint Maera."

My stomach tightened, and my entire body grew cold. When my Brand had shown dark red, like blood,, along with the large, brighter red Fjallar Brand surrounding it. For a long while, I spent hours looking at books, trying to figure out the meaning of it.

When I found an old book dating from before the Holy War, surprisingly, that mentioned _Loptyr_ Blood. Thinking back on it now, I wondered why that book was still there. It had shown explanations for each of the twelve known types of Holy Blood, and a thirteenth, Loptyr, as well as the colors for the brand. My smaller Brand matched the picture perfectly.

Since then, I'd hidden my Brands as much as possible, though it was thankfully easy to hide. Even though I became Velthomer's Duke, some of the other Grannvalean dukes were extreme supporters of Loptyrian Hunts, and I feared anyone ever finding out my dark secret. I could be killed just because of my ancestors. If he leaked this information out, I would be killed. And if I killed him, I'd have to hide his body somewhere.

After a minute of thinking, I decided what to do. "Fine," I said, and before he could say anything else, I continued. "But I'm not going to try to bring back the Loptyrian Empire. However, I _will _work with you to make this a land where _everyone _can live without fearing for their lives." It's what I've always wanted since I was little, to tear down the prejudice, to make things better for the people who needed it.

I stared at Manfroy fiercely yet calm, and he stared back, but after a moment he sighed. "I suppose, if you don't want to work with me on that, I shouldn't force you." Something told me he wasn't completely convinced to stop, though. As I prepared to leave, I warned him to stay out of sight, and we set up a time to continue talking about this.

I hoped I wasn't wrong about this.

* * *

A few weeks later, we met again, and we discussed several things, like Sigurd and his army approaching Grannvale, and that Duke Langbalt had been killed. Sigurd was one person that had to be stopped, even as much as I respected him. Now, they were probably near My back, readying to march through the Yied Desert. Manfroy hated the fact that I was working with Duke Reptor and had been working with Duke Langbalt.

The next day, Reptor arrived in Belhalla to discuss our alliance.

"What are we supposed to do?" His eyes narrowed. We were sitting in a small office. "It was you who insisted that, even if we left the bulk of our armies on conquests with our sons, Sigurd would pose no threat to me at all! The situation before us is _not_ the outcome you promised me!"

I sighed, putting some papers for donations to a poor orphanage down on the desk. Even as a soon-to-be emperor, I preferred working in a small, quiet place. "Reptor, your overreaction is baseless. The deck is still stacked in our favor. The Velthomer army is already lying in wait for the rebels in the Yied Desert's depths. Furthermore, Thracian sellswords should be arriving to reinforce us at any moment. The enemy will assuredly be exhausted. So long as our armies cooperate, Sigurd and his army ought to fall with ease."

"I'm holding you to your word this time, Arvis," Reptor growled. "Remember, I've no objection to you alone claiming the throne once Azmur finally dies. But don't you _dare_ forget your allies."

"Of course," I said with a calm smile. "Must I remind you? The instant the dust of this war settles, House Friege will be granted the Agustrian throne to govern. House Dozel, meanwhile, will be entrusted with the rule of Isaach. Rest assured, Reptor. I will honor your rights to these territories." I was lying, but hoped he couldn't tell.

He seemed to have believed me. "Hrm…" he sighed. "Very well. Then I, too, will fight with all I have."

He walked out of the room, and Manfroy entered it a few minutes later.

"Greetings, Lord Arvis," he said. "The plan proceeds precisely on time, I see."

I looked up. "Manfroy," I said, stifling a groan, "Don't take this the wrong way, but you shouldn't show your face in public. Until the Grannvale throne is mine, I cannot allow you or your brethren to appear in public. Do you not understand?"

Manfroy laughed strangely. "Oh, we _understand_. We understand how you indulge the greed of men as vile as Reptor and Langbalt. We understand how even then, you still will not concede the very fact of our existence. The plan was to use those two buffoons until they could be used no further, then cast them aside and use their sons in their stead... Was it not?"

"Mm, but…" I stopped for a moment, before continuing. "Hear me well, Manfroy. I refuse to have any part in the revival of your Loptyrian Empire. I've no desire to oppress your cult, but I've even less of a desire to consign the world to your dark lord's rule. The blood of Loptyr's scions flows in my veins, but there is so much _more_ to me than that. My Loptyrian heritage is that of Saint Maera, a man who fought for the rights of the people, and more importantly, I am the one true heir to the Crusader Fjalar, one of Loptyr's sworn enemies. I will change this world for the better. Under my rule, humanity shall be free from the pain of prejudice, tyranny and oppression! What a pity it is, that Sigurd must die, but alas, all things require sacrifice."

Manfroy laughed. "A sacrifice for the sake of the Lady Deirdre, you mean. You are terrified, Lord Arvis. You fear her memory may someday return…"

I _hated _when he was able to tell what I was thinking, or at least guess _somewhat_ right. "Don't you _dare_ bring her into this!" I snapped. "Need I remind you? We. Are. In. _Love!_ Nothing will _ever_ come between us!"

"I suppose you two need to hasten and make proof of this love of yours," Manfroy continued, annoying me. "Proof that will one day grow up and rise to be a most magnificent king!"

He walked out of the room with what looked like a smirk, and I suppressed a sigh. If this week would end with me still sane, it would be a miracle.

* * *

I sent a messenger to Velthomer to ask Aida to continue the plan. She would betray Reptor there, and he and his army would be cornered on the side by Sigurd's. I also asked Aida to bring Sigurd and his army to Belhalla. So far, it was working the way it was planned to, but it could all backfire at any moment.

Just days later, another messenger, from Aida, told me that Reptor was dead and Sigurd and his army were coming.

The day they finally came, I sent someone to make sure Azel wasn't near the main group. If everything worked out, I needed to make sure he was safe.

"Ah, Lord Sigurd," I said with a smile when they came to Belhalla, or rather the outskirts. I had come out to greet him with Belhalla's royal guard. Even though I wasn't the emperor yet, I had been put in charge of them years ago. "Truly this is quite the auspicious day. Congratulations on your triumphant return to the fatherland!"

Sigurd smiled back, and I almost felt bad about going through with this. Almost. It was the only way, and I would do whatever it took to achieve my goal. "It's good to see you too, Lord Arvis, and thank you for such a lavish greeting! If I may ask, where is His Majesty?"

I sighed. "Alas, His Majesty is taken severely ill. He has become permanently bedridden. As such, I am administering all affairs of state on his behalf for the time being."

"Is that so?" He said. "I'm sorry to hear that. I heard about your wedding, though not much about it, but Silesse is mostly isolated from the rest of the continent, especially in winter. Though," he said with a laugh "My misadventures probably didn't help His Majesty feel any better! Once we're finished here, I should visit the palace and give him my sincerest apologies."

I turned my smile into a scowl. "...I think not."

Sigurd stared in confusion l. "Hm?"

"Sigurd of Chalphy," I said, almost glaring at him, "I hereby sentence you to death for your crimes of treason. His Majesty will not be seeing you, today or _ever_."

Sigurd just stared at me."W-what?! What are you talking about, Lord Arvis?!"

"You are only realizing now?" I laughed. "You are far too naïve, Sigurd. Need I remind you that you and your father still sought to usurp the throne and plotted against the crown?" Well, I knew it wasn't true, but it didn't make sense for me to _not _think that. "_Nothing_ has changed. It is my duty to exact justice upon you, in the name of my wife, Princess Deirdre. I trust you understand, Sigurd."

To my surprise, he looked more shocked than he did before, his face turning pale. "P-Princess Deirdre?! That... No, it can't be…"

I wasn't sure why he was acting this way, but I assumed he knew her, probably from before she lost her memories. "Ah, of course, you've never met, correct? Very well, I suppose an introduction would be a fair parting gift before your demise."

I turned and asked one of the royal guards to ask them to ask Deirdre to come. I wanted to know how exactly Sigurd knew her, but hoped I wasn't bothering her by asking her to come outside randomly.

A few minutes later, Deirdre came out, looking confused by what was going on.

"Deirdre," I said, "allow me to introduce you to Sigurd: the man who is the son of the person who supposedly killed your father."

Deirdre looked at Sigurd. "So this is... Sir Sigurd?"

But _my _shock, Sigurd's face turned from just shocked to horror, to panic, to worry. Like he'd been stabbed out of nowhere, not sure who did it or why, but just knowing that he'd been stabbed. "Deirdre?! No... This can't be happening…"

Deirdre's eyes widened, and I had to stop myself from doing the same. "Why... Why are you speaking like this...?"

Sigurd looked like he was about to cry. "Deirdre! It really is you! No... No, no, no…"

"Do... Do you know me, sir?" Deirdre asked quietly.

"Of _course _I do! You're my-" Sigurd blurted out, tears starting to fill his eyes.

"Enough!" I said, before anything else could happen. I didn't know what else to do. "I'm sorry, Deirdre, but you have to stand back. This is an extremely dangerous man, and I don't want him to hurt you. Rest assured: this traitor will be punished."

'But…" Deirdre stammered. "He... He's..."

"Deirdre, I don't want anything bad to happen to you," I said, looking at her pleadingly. "I've lost so many of the few people I cared about, and it would be my fault if you died because of this!" She might be killed in the crossfire, even if they didn't try to attack her purposely.

She stood there for what felt like forever before reluctantly agreeing to go back.

"Wait!" Sigurd yelled, trying to get her turn around and stop walking back, but it was in vain. "DEIRDRE! Arvis, please! I beg of you! She... She's my…."

I didn't know what to do, so in an effort to keep myself from having the same reaction as him (if this continued for any longer, I just might), I snapped, "Enough! I grow weary of your ravings." I raised my voice slightly. "Attention, men! We no longer have any use for keeping the traitors alive. Move in on Sigurd and his party! The time to serve them their punishment has come!"

Sigurd's expression turned from horror and disbelief to anger and betrayal. "...D... DAMN YOU, ARVIS!"

The royal guard attacked Sigurd's army, while I burned Sigurd with Valflame. The battle, if you could call it that… no, it was a massacre, went quicker than I'd expected, but I assumed some people managed to escape. The entire time, I felt something wrong in me, and I didn't know what it was.

When the battle was over, the ground and the sky itself were covered in red. In blood, and in something else. Sadness, maybe?

Hours later, I came back alone, unable to stop thinking about it. I shivered thinking about what Sigurd had said. What had he meant? Was Deirdre really… I didn't know, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to or not.

With Sigurd's death, I could finally achieve my dreams and make this land peaceful, equal. It was the start of only good, so why did I feel so wrong?

* * *

Notes:

(It's 4,515 words long. Wow.)

"Hellfire upon you!" - Arvis, FEH

I'll do this quickly because it's almost 2:00 as I'm writing this, but I'll try to fit everything in.

Arvis is the actually third duke (1st gen) I wrote a chapter on (almost right after another), which is funny considering the other two are major supporters of Loptyrian Hunts/

It's also kind of funny considering the reviews are mostly about Arvis, so I hope I did him justice. And if not, I still have another chance (gen 2).

(Something random: I set this in Belhalla, but quickly realized he should be in Velthomer, so I tried to explain it a little. Manfroy coming in after Reptor is also from the game, by the way)

I don't know what to say that wasn't already said in one of the reviews, but I'll try:

So, in the past few weeks, Arvis grew from a character I sort of liked to being one of my favorite FE antagonists in general. With dealing with his past, his future (his wife's death, his daughter's disappearance), how much he cares for his family (probably would have done something for Azel, Tailtiu, Arthur, Tine if he knew the truth), and that he does feel bad and makes up for his actions (sending Tyrfing to Seliph, the kidnapped children to safety, and gives Julia the key to finishing the war). _And _hewasa great brother (I agree with Naryfiel Lilith's get-sibling(s)-out-of harm's-way idea, so I did something similar) father and husband, and the empire was fine under _his _control, so...

I used some of the lines directly from the game, but changed them slightly (Reptor's to make him seem less panicky, Arvis's to make him seem like a better husband, because the dialogue at the BM makes seem like he's not)

On another note, I hope I managed to get Manfroy right. I was thinking about this yesterday and then it hit me: I have to do _Manfroy _next week (I'm really late with this chapter)! So hopefully, it'll work out.

Another thing: I changed my schedule from every week to biweekly (I'll upload a chapter of the 7DS novelization every other week, hopefully). I said this on my 7DS novelization, but decided to pu it here, just in case.

Edit: I changed Deirdre leaving at the end a little because of a misunderstanding. Basically, I thought I was writing it in a understandable way, , I was wrong. Hopefully I made it better.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Fire Emblem related.


	9. Manfroy - Necessary (761 Grann)

Manfroy/Necessary (761 Grann)

Everything was going exactly to plan, though it had been a little slower than I had anticipated. Manipulating Agustria's royal family, namely Chagall, had taken time, especially with Sigurd and his army being there, but I had worked it out in the end. They had proven to be helpful in the continuation of the plan, after all, and making sure Duke Langbalt and Duke Reptor were angered enough to kill the heir to the kingdom had been mandatory, for they would then need a new heir.

Now, Prince Kurth's long lost daughter, Deirdre, would be marrying the soon-to-be-emperor Arvis. The two seemed to love each other, but that wasn't what my job entailed. It was not my business, as much as it amused me, how much they cared about each other. What it did involve was convincing them to have a child as soon as possible, and then, at a certain age, having their child touch the Book of Loptyr, letting him enter their body, giving him control. But before that, my job would be to ensure that Loptyr's vessel grew up strong enough to be able to wield the Book of Loptyr and to prepare for the resurrection of the Loptyrian Empire.

And then there was the matter of procuring the Book of Loptyr in the first place. As it had turned out, it had been in Isaach the entire time. I suppose the Crusaders wanted to put anyone looking for it on a false trail, after what had happened before. Regardless, I sent someone to convince the leader of Rivough to attack Darna. The war that followed had given time for me to send someone else to find and collect it.

Now, I paced the deserted halls of Belhalla Castle. I was skilled at many things, including having patience, but there is a certain length of time someone can go without anything happening, and I might be nearing my limit.

I was waiting for a moment to discuss matters further with Arvis. Unfortunately, as I was a Loptyrian and he was working with known Loptyrian haters, I couldn't stay in the open for long periods of time. Which was why I was walking down a deserted hall that did look like it had been cleaned in several decades, at the least.

Arvis was in a meeting with Reptor, a man known as a Loptyrian Hunt supporter, and I could barely stop myself from counting the minutes until he left.

I slipped into a small, quiet room that Arvis had been using to "avoid people long enough to be able think properly," as he put it. Reptor has just left, so I was taking a big risk, but fortunately, it played off.

I entered as he was writing something down on a paper.

"Greetings, Lord Arvis," I said quietly. "The plan proceeds precisely on time, I see…"

Arvis looked up, a little startled, and said, "Manfroy, don't take this the wrong way, but you shouldn't show your face in public. Until the Grannvale throne is mine, I cannot allow you or your brethren to appear in public. Do you not understand?"

I laughed. Of course I understood. Painful memories from years ago had been burned into my head, never leaving. But that wasn't important right now. "Oh, we _understand_. We understand how you indulge the greed of men as vile as Reptor and Langbalt. We understand how even then, you still will not concede the very fact of our existence. The plan was to use those two buffoons until they could be used no further, then cast them aside and use their sons in their stead... Was it not?"

"Mm, but," Arvis began, before stopping for a moment, and then continuing, more confident in his words. "Hear me well, Manfroy. I refuse to have any part in the revival of your Loptyr Empire. I've no desire to oppress your cult, but I've even less of a desire to consign the world to your dark lord's rule. Remember this well. Yes, the blood of Loptyr's scions flows in my veins, but there is so much more to me than that. My Loptyrian heritage is that of Saint Maera, a man who fought for the rights of the people. And more importantly, I am the one true heir to the Crusader Fjalar, Loptyr's sworn enemy. I will change this world for the better. Under my rule, humanity shall be free from the pain of prejudice, tyranny and oppression! What a pity it is, that Sigurd must die, but alas, all things require sacrifice."

I laughed again. "A sacrifice for the sake of the Lady Deirdre, you mean. You are _terrified_, Lord Arvis. You fear her memory may someday return…"

"Don't you dare bring her into this!" he shouted. "Need I remind you? We. Are. In. _Love!_ Nothing will ever come between us!"

"I suppose you two need to hasten and make proof of this love of yours," I said, walking out of the room, unable to stop myself from smirking a little. "Proof that will one day grow up and rise to be a most magnificent king!"

If everything went the way they should it would work… And the dreams of the Loptyrians would finally be realized.

Notes:

I was worried that I wouldn't have enough to put, but then I decided to use the conversation Arvis and Manfroy have in Chapter 5 again. Hopefully it isn't boring, and now you know both sides of the conversation, so that's something.

I think this is going to be (for now) the last 761 chapter (which is weird, considering I started them with Andrei's at the end of February). The rest of the1st Gen chapters (again, for now, you can ask me to write characters from the first generation if you want) are going to be in between generations, and then I'll move on to the 2nd Gen ones.

So here are my responses to the reviews:

JP I'm Italian (5-02): To start off, it's okay (If you can't do anything about your situation, it's fine). I

About Reptor, I'm glad you liked it, because right when I got up to Azel showing, I accidentally put myself in a writer's block situation for over a week and didn't know what to do from there.

And about your idea about Berkut, I doubt anything can ruin it because of how serious and sad it is; so I imagined that way, and my first thought was Alm saying: "I knew people had to be crazy to sacrifice themselves to Duma... but I didn't know it _makes _people crazy."

And about Deirdre, it was a misunderstanding, I guess. Basically, I thought Arvis sounded a little too… forceful, I guess? So I changed it a little, but I changed it again to fix that misunderstanding. And _I_ didn't change Sigurd's last sentence, Project Naga did. (And I finally got you to like something Arvis-related!)

And lastly, about COVID19: I've actually been doing mostly okay, but now I can relate to Sirius in the fifth Harry Potter book and the original Gowther in Seven Deadly Sins. Well, on a smaller scale, anyway.

Guest (5-04): Yeah, I also keep meaning to do things but keep pushing them off… Like writing this fanfiction sometimes.

So, when I was writing the last chapter, I decided that I was going to take as little I could from things like the manga, and the game itself, unless I needed to (and tried to imagine myself as him, to get a better view of his actions), and I'm happy you like it!

Thank you for the advice (I can't think of any other way to say this, and the whole paragraph, actuallt), and I'm glad you like this and think other people do/will to(I'm a little pressured, but also motivated to write it.

About Hilda: I've only read bits and pieces from it, so I don't know. I'll try to write her, but I need to take a break and write Aida first so I don't have to write two of my least favorite characters in a row, but after that, I will. (I'll try to write the first generation, and maybe 2nd gen if I can later)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Fire Emblem related.


End file.
